


By My Side (Even When You're Far Away)

by CreativWit



Category: S.W.A.T. (TV 2017)
Genre: Bit of a sad ending, Crying, Duke is a good boy and deserves his own tag, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Luca is Street's best friend fight me on this, Men Crying, Mention of Sibling Death, Some Mature Language, Supportive!Luca
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-25 16:34:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22499155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CreativWit/pseuds/CreativWit
Summary: Of all the times Street wishes Luca was home, it was now. Thank God phones exist, though. Tag to 3x12
Relationships: Dominic Luca & James Street, Dominic Luca & Jim Street, Dominique Luca & James Street, Dominique Luca & Jim Street
Comments: 18
Kudos: 88





	By My Side (Even When You're Far Away)

**Author's Note:**

> Word Count: 1,704 words; five pages on Docs  
> Author’s Note: I have a new affinity for writing casual interactions between Street and Luca when I should be working on my other WIPs. Don’t care. I miss Luca. I also refuse to accept that Chris is Street’s best friend and not Luca, especially with the way she’s been acting lately. Please enjoy.

Street let out a quiet sigh as he unlocked the front door and, once again, entered his empty home. Well, it wasn’t _completely_ empty.

“Hi, Duke,” he greeted softly, dropping his backpack next to the doorway as he kicked the door shut. He locked it with one hand as his other reached down to pet the golden retriever that had bounded over at the sound of Street’s entry.

Duke panted happily, sitting down on his haunches and raising his head up to meet Street’s scratches. He hadn’t spent much time with his pup-nephew since he’d gone undercover against Nolan. Of course, he’d made time to _take care_ of the dog, but he hadn’t actually hung out with him. Street could use the downtime.

“Come on, bud,” he murmured, ambling over to the couch and practically collapsing on it. Duke hopped up next to him, resting his head on Street’s lap as Street’s fingers carded through the fur on Duke’s neck. Street tilted his neck back, head resting on the couch cushions.

Nate. 

He’d lost his brother. Why hadn’t he just done what Street told him? How many times had he’d told Nate that he’d take care of it, that it was all under control? Why couldn’t he just listen for once? Why did he always pull the ‘older brother’ card? Why, why, why?

He choked back a sob building up in his throat. He didn’t care that he was home alone; he wasn’t going to do this. He didn’t have to cry. He could mourn perfectly fine without the tears. There was _no need for this_. He was stronger than that.

Duke whimpered softly, catching Street’s attention. He looked down to see Duke tossing glances toward the door. Street inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“Yeah, bud. I miss him, too.”

If there was anything Street needed right now, it was to not be alone. Duke was there, yeah, but Street couldn’t exactly confide in him and expect the dog to answer back with advice. He missed his roommate, his partner, his _best friend_. He knew Luca would be here if he could, but that just wasn’t possible. He was still in rehab for his hip and back. Street knew that, but it didn’t stop him from wishing he was next to him. 

As if some divine spirit heard him, his phone buzzed in his back pocket. He fished it out and woke it up from sleep mode, a text message glaring back at him.

**Luca:  
** _Hey, kid. Hondo called me. Told me what happened. You okay?_

Street felt his eyes start to burn. _No._ He wasn’t going to do that, especially not over a simple damn _text_. He opened the message to respond, but another text alert cut him off.

**Luca:  
** _Wait, sorry. That was a stupid question. Of course you’re not okay._

Street snorted, lifting the hand that had been petting Duke to text a reply. 

**Street:** _  
Hey, man. Chill. I get what you mean._

Street hesitated for a moment. Should he lie? He didn’t want to worry Luca - the guy had enough on his plate already - but he knew Luca would catch him. The older man didn’t have to be next to him to know when Street wasn’t being completely honest. So, instead, he settled for,

**Street:** _  
I’m not...great. But I’ll be okay._

Street hadn't expected for Luca’s ringtone to blare through his phone immediately after the text had been sent, but he answered it anyway.

“You know, a text would have been fine. You didn’t have to call,” he snorted, but it didn’t quite sound as calm as he wanted it to be.

_“Talk to me,”_ Luca replied bluntly, completely disregarding Street’s comment.

“I’m fine, Luca.”

_“You’re doing that thing. You know, the lying thing? Yeah, stop that shit.”_

The laugh Street gave came out a bit hysterical and before he knew it, he was doing the thing he had been swearing he wouldn’t, tears streaming down his face. He felt Duke’s paw pulling at his arm. Street immediately wrapped his arm around the dog, hand curling in the soft fur.

“I told him to stay put, Luca,” he choked out, voice cracking and watery, “I told him to stay, and he fucking…”

_“God, kid.”_

“He was in the bathtub, just laying there. His eyes were open, Luca, and he was _staring_ at me. I didn’t...they just...they just _left him there_ , and I know I can’t expect anything less - they’re killers - but he was just...he...he was my _brother._ ” Sobs echoed through the room, and he buried his head in Duke’s fur, the dog standing still and letting Street do as he pleased.

He kept the phone pressed to his ear as he cried into Duke’s coat, listening to Luca’s voice. _“Kid, I’m sorry I can’t be there, but I need you to know that this was_ _not_ _your fault. You did everything you could, you did everything right. Hondo told me all about it, practically praised you. You did nothing wrong. You couldn’t control your brother’s actions. You told him to stay in the room, that you had everything taken care of. You couldn’t have known. Don’t put this on yourself.”_

“I should’ve done more,” Street whispered.

_“No. Stop thinking like that. There was nothing left to be done. You did everything you could. Nate didn’t.”_

Street scoffed. “Are you _blaming_ him?”

_“You’re damn right I am. Street, I get it. He was your brother, and you loved him. I understand that. But Nate was a grown-ass adult who could make his own decisions. You couldn’t stop him from doing whatever he pleased. Stop thinking that you could’ve. Nate chose to ignore you, decided to go after a guy who had proven himself dangerous countless times. I’m not saying you’re not allowed to grieve ‘cause I mean, shit, he was your_ _brother_ _, but you need to realize that this was not on you. This was on Nolan and, unfortunately, Nate.”_

Street was quiet for a moment, and Luca gave him time to collect himself. Duke had taken to craning his neck around to press his wet nose against Street’s shoulder. Street straightened up, face still tear-streaked and leaving a damp spot on Duke’s fur. He’d give the dog a bath later. As for the moment, he placed his free hand on the side of Duke’s jaw. The dog raised his head and began to lick the tears from Street’s face.

“I can’t stop feeling guilty. I should have just told him. Everything feels so...broken. Hell, _I_ feel broken.”

Luca let out a soft sigh. _“Can I tell you something my mom once told me before she passed away?”_

“Uh, sure?”

_“I was going through a...rough time, for lack of a better word, like you. She just looked at me and said, ‘Everyone hurts, everyone goes through hard times. It’s the ones who actually ask for help that heal.’ You, here, talking to me? That’s a big step, kid. Don’t get me wrong, I wish I could be there right now, but the fact that you’re reaching out means a lot more.”_

“Technically, you reached out first,” Street murmured.

He could practically hear Luca roll his eyes. _“It is way easier to ignore a text than to ignore me in person.”_

“You would’ve called anyway.”

_“You would’ve muted your phone, put it on Do Not Disturb. Admit it, you miss me.”_

“Never in a million years.” They both knew he was lying.

Silence passed over the phone for a moment, but neither of them felt uncomfortable. Street merely held the quiet phone to his ear, running his fingers through the soft fur on Duke’s head. The dog looked up at him with big eyes that Street would swear held sympathy. He didn’t want to see that, even though he knew Duke couldn’t help it. Having Luca on the other side of the phone, though, and not _seeing_ the pity made talking to him so much easier. Well, Luca was easy to talk to in person or not, but something about not seeing the sympathy in his eyes made opening up simple and a lot less... _embarrassing_.

_“Hey, you still there?”_

“I’m here.” His voice had more or less returned to normal. A bit of hoarseness still resided in his undertones, but, overall, he felt much better than he’d been feeling a half-hour ago.

_“Listen, I have to go. I have an early appointment tomorrow, but Street, seriously, if you need me, call me. I’ll always pick up.”_

Street nodded, even though he knew Luca couldn’t see it. “I know...I will. Promise.”

_“Well, now I’m going to hold you to that. Good night, kid. Actually try to get some sleep tonight.”_

“I’ll do my best. Good night, Luca.”

_“Night.”_

With that, the call dropped, and the house settled into the same silence as before. Uncomfortable, tense, suffocating… but there was a new feeling in the air, one he couldn't quite name but actually sought comfort in. Most likely a feeling Luca gave off. Street sighed. He couldn't wait until his roommate returned home. 

He looked down at Duke and gave a small smile. "Alright, bud, let's go wash my tears and snot outta your fur and then head to bed, hm?"

Duke barked happily and took off down the hall, tail wagging happily. Street allowed himself a quiet chuckle before following the dog to the bathroom. As he made his way, he caught a glimpse of Luca's closed bedroom door. Street let out a sigh.

Never did he think he'd miss Luca and his insomnia, but on days like this, where the house was quiet to the point of practically smothering him, Street couldn't help but wish for his teammate to come home. 

Duke sat eagerly outside the tub, waiting for his pseudo-owner to turn on the water. Twisting the knobs, Street lowered himself on the closed lid of the toilet as he and Duke watched the bathtub fill. He fidgeted with his hands. 

_He'll be coming home soon, Street,_ he thought to himself. He shook the thought out of his head as he gestured to Duke to hop in the water. 

_Not soon enough._

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this had been written before the last episode, when Luca returned, but I couldn’t get to editing it until now. I guess you can consider this canon-divergence then. I’m not fond of where I ended it, but that was all I could really come up with. Getting back into the swing of writing is harder than I thought. My hope that you enjoy this still stands, though!


End file.
